HUNDREDS of victims are being scammed by purchasing fake coronavirus face masks.

Thames Valley Police is sending a warning to residents in Berkshire following 21 reports of fraud over the coronavirus.

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One victim in the UK lost a total of £15,000 after purchasing coronavirus face masks which were reportedly never delivered.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau said 10 victims were caught out by fraudsters after attempting to buy a COVID-19 protective face mask.

Since February 2020, amid the Coronavirus outbreak, a total of more than £800k was stolen from victims through fraudsters online.

Action Fraud has also received multiple reports about coronavirus-themed phishing emails attempting to trick people into opening malicious attachments or revealing sensitive personal and financial information.

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Police said a common tactic used by fraudsters is to contact potential victims over email purporting to be from research organisation’s affiliated with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

They claim to be able to provide the recipient with a list of coronavirus infected people in their area.

In order to access this information, the victim needs to click on a link, which leads to a malicious website, or is asked to make a payment in Bitcoin.

Reporting numbers are expected to rise as the virus continues to spread across the world, said Action Fraud.